American Pop

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a big animation fan. I used to be able to list the last ten years of Oscar winners in the animated feature and short film categories. Great way to kill a conversation at cocktail party. Trust me. Somehow, though, I missed the obvious connection between my love for animation and my love for Jewish music until this clip from American Pop was posted to YouTube last week. I did a quick check and I do have a dusty copy that I haven't seen in years. The YouTube clip reminded me of what a cool film it is.

On the director of the film, Ralph Backshi', website, American Pop is described as "allegorical tale about four generations of fathers and sons - using a retrospective of American pop music." The four generations in question, though, are a family of immigrant Jewish musicians. Not much Jewish music, per se, but Jewish themed material is peppered through the film. The American Pop wikipedia entry has a detailed description of the storyline, following the family from Tsarist Russia to American prohibition era clubs, to the heights of pop stardom.

Bakshi was born in Haifa 1n 1938 to a family of Russian Jews, and moved with them to the US in the 1940's and produced a series of influential, and controversial films in the 1970's and 80's.

"American Pop" animation movie clip, 1981